KINGSPORT, Tenn. (April 22, 2014) â€" Krista Lambdin capped a four-hit day with a three-run, walk-off homer in extra innings, and the Milligan College softball team survived a late scare against Tennessee Wesleyan College, 4-1, in the opening round of the AAC tournament held here at Domtar Park on Tuesday.
 
Milligan (21-15, 16-4 AAC) will face six seed St. Andrews University -- who came from behind to beat Virginia Intermont in the opening round -- Wednesday at 5 p.m. in the semifinals of the winners bracket. Milligan swept SAU on the road earlier this season but needed nine innings to beat the Knights in game two.
 
Lambdin's home run Tuesday evening would not have been possible without the aid of Kacie Skeen, who forced extra innings with a game-tying solo shot to lead off the bottom of the seventh.
 
Lambdin hit her game-winner on a full count pitch with two out and runners on first and second. After Maleah Wolfenbarger reached on an infield single and was moved to second on Jessica Wheelock's sacrifice bunt, Tennessee Wesleyan (13-26) chose to pitch around Skeen, whose homer tied the game her last time up, and face Lambdin in the leadoff spot instead. Lambdin made the Bulldogs pay for that choice with her second homer of the year.
 
Lambdin finished the game 4-for-5 and was a triple shy of the cycle. Wolfenbarger was 2-for-4.
 
Milligan stranded eight runners through the first six innings and even had a chance to win it in the bottom of the seventh after Skeen's homer. With the game tied at one, Lambdin reached on a base hit and went to second on Jessica Connatser's sac bunt. But the inning ended with Lambdin on second and Taylor McGinnis, who walked, on first.
 
Starting pitcher Chancli Connatser went the distance, striking out seven and walking only one while allowing seven hits and one earned run in all eight innings. She faced one over the minimum through the first four frames before running into bases loaded trouble in the fifth and giving up the go-ahead run in the sixth.
 
Once Skeen tied the game, C. Connatser put down the Bulldogs in order in the seventh and eighth.
 
Tennessee Wesleyan cracked open the scoring in the top of the sixth on Stacie Nelson's RBI-single through the left side. Nelson drove in Brandi Lasley who had doubled and gone to third when left fielder J. Connatser threw out Lindsay Arndts trying to score from first on the play.
 
Arndts was the only Bulldog with multiple hits, finishing 2-for-4.
 
Milligan will play St. Andrews University Wednesday at 5 p.m.